Hijacked Harts
by reilert79
Summary: Jennifer and Jonathan are on separate trips at the same time. One of their planes gets hijacked...
1. Chapter 1

***Chapter 1***

***Willow Pond***

Jennifer and Jonathan are packing their suitcases.

Jonathan has to go to Mexico to close a deal and check on some factories, and Jennifer is heading to Boston for a writer's conference, and to interview someone for an article.

Jonathan would be gone 2 weeks. She would be gone 2 1/2.

"I don't want to leave you darling".

"I know, me either. Why don't you come to Boston after you are done in Mexico?"

"I can't-I have several board meetings I have to be back here for right after".

She threw her arms around his neck. "Well, when I get back, we will have to spend some time at the beach house, with no interruptions".

"You got it".

He kissed her several times.

After they both finished packing, they put their suitcases on the window seat and changed for bed.

He gave her one of his first-class massages, and they made love a few times and then fell asleep.

***The next morning***

Max made them breakfast, and then told them goodbye. He and Freeway were heading to Vegas for a poker tournament while they were gone.

Freeway had a ticket at the doggy spa, that he really enjoyed.

Jonathan drove Jennifer to the airport, and their planes were parked side by side.

They spent several minutes kissing and saying goodbye.

"Call me when you get there?"

"Absolutely".

One final hug and kiss, and she boarded her plane and he boarded his.

5 hours later, he was in Mexico. He pulled out his phone to call Jennifer, and saw that he had no service.

He figured he would wait till he got to the hotel and give her a call.

***Jennifer's plane***

Jennifer had settled into one of the couches on the plane, and had turned the TV on. She was watching her soap operas, and she started writing down questions for her interview.

She was interviewing a reclusive rock star, Ashley O'Grady. Ashley had been immensely popular about 20 years ago, and had been at the absolute top of her game. Until one day, when she just walked away from it all, and quit the music business with no explanation.

Thanks to her success, she was set for life. But her fans were devastated.

She had never granted interviews before, but this time, she requested Jennifer.

They were going to land in Boston in about an hour, and the captain let her know that.

About 10 minutes later, she received another phone call from the captain.

"Mrs. Hart, can you come to the cockpit? It's urgent".

"Is everything alright?"

"Not really…"

"Well, you know I don't know much about flying the plane, so if you need help, you should call it in".

"All I know is that I need you up here".

"Ok, I will be right there".

She moved all her stuff off her lap, and headed to the cockpit.

"Brad...what is it?"

As soon as she had pushed the curtain back, she heard the click.

She felt the gun to her head.

"Sit down, Mrs. Hart".

She did as she was told.

"As I explained to your pilot already, we will not be going to Boston. We will be going somewhere else. If you or he gives me any trouble, you or he will die. Simple as that".

"What do you want from us?"

"It's simple. You are taking me where I want to go."

"Well, you could drop us in Boston like we planned and then, I tell you what. I own this plane. If you drop us in Boston, unharmed, you can take my plane anywhere you want to go, no questions asked".

"I don't like that idea". She stared at him. He was tall, had a thick Italian accent, and dark hair and dark eyes.

He looked at her. "Do you know how to fly a plane?"

"No, I don't".

"Ok, so Brad does flying. Got it".

"Where do you want to go?"

"Italy".

"I promise you, if you drop us off in Boston or anywhere really, you can take my plane and go to Italy. I won't press charges, I swear it".

"That is very generous, but there is no way I can show up in Italy with a plane that doesn't belong to me".

"Why did you pick this plane?"

"Well, I was on the tarmac, and this one was parked next to another one and the crew was getting this one ready, and they got off the plane and left the door open, and I snuck on. I hid in closet till time was right".

"You are completely mad".

He ordered Brad to fly them to Italy.

"We are going to have to stop for fuel, probably in New York. We won't make it to Italy if we don't".

"Ok, but no tricks".

He got some rope and tied Jennifer's hands behind her back and had her sit in the jumpseat. He took the second pilot's chair, and Brad was flying them in the first one.

"I am sorry I have to do this, but you might escape".

She wasn't resisting at all.

He didn't do the rope too tight, thankfully.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name".

"Carlo".

"Carlo. I have a bad back, I will not be able to sit in this seat the whole way to Italy. I need to be in a cushioned seat. Now, there are cameras in here and you can watch me the whole time, but I need to go and sit back on the couch where I was, otherwise I won't be able to walk when we get to Italy".

"No tricks, or you die".

"No tricks, honest".

He untied her from the chair, and led her to the couch.

He tied her hands in front of her and then returned to the cockpit.

She pulled out her laptop, and quickly sent Jonathan an email.

"Darling, plane has been hijacked. His name is Carlo. He said we are going to Italy. Please help. I love you, I love you, I love you… He has taken over the plane's phones, so you can't call me on the plane phone or my cell. I love you darling…-J".

She hit send and then he came into the room.

"What are you doing?"

"Well you said you weren't going to Boston, and I am supposed to be at a writer's conference. So, I was just telling them I wouldn't be there, that's all".

"Well, no tricks. I am watching you on camera."

He went back to the cockpit.

She turned off the sound on her laptop, but left the window minimized. She wanted to know when he got the email.

She thought about emailing the conference and telling them what was happening, but she was afraid that it would end up in the press. She did not want Jonathan to find out that her plane had been held hostage from TV.

She didn't often think of her mom, because doing so usually made her upset.

However, this time she knew she couldn't do this alone.

She said a silent prayer to her mom to get her back to Jonathan.

***Mexico***

Jonathan landed and headed straight to the hotel. He wanted to call Jennifer as soon as possible.

He checked in, and headed up to his room. It felt weird traveling without her. They usually took their trips together, and if they couldn't, they weren't separated for more than a few days at a time.

He put his things on the bed and sat down and tried to call Jennifer. The phone wasn't working. No dial tone.

He went back downstairs to the front desk.

"My phone in my room isn't working".

"We no have phone service here, senor. Been gone 2 years".

"So why have phones if you don't have service?" 

"They look nice in the rooms".

"Is there a place in town that has a phone that I can use?"

"The hotel across the street, in the lobby."

"Thanks".

Jonathan walked across the street, and tried to call Jennifer from there.

No answer on the plane.

"Hmm. Maybe she's landed".

He called the hotel that she was staying at in Boston.

"No, sir, she has not checked in".

He thought it was strange. He was starving though, so he decided he would try again later.

He took off in search of food and a nice, cold drink.

***Jennifer's plane***

She was checking her email every few minutes. Nothing from Jonathan.

She was beginning to get worried, but there wasn't anything she could do about it.

She tried to relax, but who can relax when you are being held hostage?

One thing she knew was that Jonathan would have everyone's head for leaving the plane unattended when this was all resolved...if it was all resolved.

They had stopped in New York, and refueled. Nobody had said a word, nobody had questioned them at all.

Carlo came and sat in the room with Jennifer.

"Ok, so here is the plan. Your husband is Hart, yes?"

"Yes, that's my husband".

"2 years ago, your husband purchased an art gallery in Italy. I do business with them. I bring them art pieces, like vases, sculptures, paintings, and when they sell it, they give me a cut. So, I need you to go into the gallery when we get to Italy, and tell them you are Mrs. Jonathan Hart, and you are bringing some of the pieces back to the American gallery".

"Why would I do that?"

"You will think of a reason".

"That will hurt my husband's business. I would never do that to him or anyone else".

"Well, this time you will". He pointed the gun at her.

"I just don't understand what you want me to do with the pieces after you get them".

"Nothing. We will bring them back to the plane and then I will drop you off somewhere and I will keep the pieces".

"This isn't making sense".

"Do as I say and you don't have to worry about things making sense".

She tried to not show that she was nervous, but it wasn't easy.

He had to know that she was nervous. He was taking her plane hostage for god's sake. Hijackings typically make the victim's nervous.

He made a phone call and was speaking in Italian. She couldn't let on that she knew how to speak Italian. That secret would need to be kept a little longer.

She wished his phone call was on speakerphone so that she could hear both sides. But, she was able to gather from his side of the convo that he was working with a partner, and that he and the partner had planned to make this look like a robbery.

Her only hope was that Jonathan would see her email, and contact the Italian authorities in time….


	2. Chapter 2

***Chapter 2***

***Mexico***

Jonathan was puzzled. He had been in Mexico for 5 hours, and was supposed to have a merger meeting the next day. However, none of the people involved could be reached. His hotel didn't have phone service and nowhere apparently had wifi.

He was heartbroken to not be able to speak to Jennifer, but he knew she would understand as soon as he explained it to her.

He was missing her terribly; he hated being apart from her even when they were in the same city. He simply couldn't wait till he could see her again.

He tried to reach the contact for the other company once more, and was told they had nobody by that name staying at the hotel.

He gave up and went to his room. He was going to read over the paperwork and then try and get some rest.

***Italy***

Jennifer's plane had landed in Italy, and she was exhausted. Carlo hadn't let her sleep much on the plane, he was erratic and kept yelling at her to remind her of the plane or to ask her a question. Plus, who can sleep when they are being held hostage?

"Ok, Mrs. Hart. I am going to undo your hands. Remember, no tricks. You have a car coming for you at the airport, yes?"

She nodded.

"You will have it take us to the gallery. I will give you a list of the pieces and you will ask for those pieces. You will tell them you want to wrap them yourself, and then we will have them transported to the plane."

"How are we going to transport these pieces on here? We don't have enough room for that".

"Yes, we do. I promise, it will be fine".

She checked her email once more, and saw that Jonathan hadn't even read the email she sent him, much less replied to it.

She was hoping that he would see it and that she could keep her wits about her if not.

They exited the plane and got in the car that was waiting for her, and she instructed the driver to take them to the gallery.

Carlo gave her the list, and she put it in her purse.

They arrived at the gallery and went inside.

"Remember, no tricks…"

She nodded.

She walked up to the receptionist and asked to speak to the gallery manager.

"Right away".

The manager, a lady named Annalisa, came up front to speak with Jennifer.

"Hello, may I help you?"

"Hi. My name is Jennifer. Jennifer Hart".

"Yes, Mrs. Hart! How lovely to see you! I just adore that bright blue wrap dress you are wearing. So elegant."

"Thank you!. I need you to give me these pieces, we are removing them from the gallery. We will wrap them ourselves, and transport them, but we need you to give them to us".

"All of these pieces? Mrs. Hart, we won't have anything left if we remove these".

"We will be restocking soon, I promise".

Annalisa was skeptical, but she started to comply.

She showed them to a conference room with a backdoor. Carlo called for the truck to back up to the backdoor.

Once it was in place, they started loading the truck. It was approximately 100 vases, about 75 paintings, and about 25 sculptures.

Jennifer grabbed a piece of paper while Carlo was distracted and wrote out a note for Annalisa and shoved it in her hand.

"Annalisa, this is the address of our gallery in Los Angeles. I sure hope to see you there one day really soon".

The note read:

'Carlo hijacked my plane and is stealing these pieces. If I didn't go along with it, he was going to kill me. Please call the Italian police and have them meet us at the tarmac at the airport".

Jennifer got in the car with Carlo again, and the driver took them back to the airport.

***About an hour later***

The truck with the pieces arrived at the tarmac. The car with Mrs. Hart and Carlo hadn't arrived yet.

A man in a smaller car appeared and got out. He went to the driver of the truck and had him open the back.

He climbed in and started going through the pieces. He pulled bags upon bags upon bags of cocaine out of the vases and sculptures, and hundreds of mini-bags off the backs of the paintings.

Carlo had double crossed him. This wasn't the first time, but he was bound and determined that it would be the last. He went to the car and got out a gift, and took it to the plane.

"I would like to leave this gift for Mrs. Hart. I regret that I am unable to stay and give it to her personally, so please see that she receives it".

"Will do, thank you".

He got in the car and drove away.

As he drove away, he called someone and told them "It's done. You can arrive anytime".

About 20 minutes later, a car carrying Mrs. Hart and Carlo arrived at the tarmac.

One of the airport workers opened the door for them.

"Hello Mrs. Hart. How lovely to see you".

"Thank you".

"What a beautiful red dress you are wearing…."

***Mexico***

Jonathan was thankful that while his hotel didn't have phone service or internet, it had television.

He had finished reading the paperwork for the deal, and was flipping through the channels before he went to bed. If Jennifer was with him, television would be the last thing on either of their minds…

He tried to not think about what they would be doing, but it was hard. There were days when nobody else in his world even existed except for her. No matter how hard things were or what they were dealing with, he always put her first. Nobody else mattered but her. She put him first too, and they both put themselves first above others. They were invited to so many functions and parties, and sometimes all they wanted was to be alone at home with each other and not have any interruptions or distractions. She was the only person that could interrupt him no matter what he was doing, or who he was with. And she was never far from his mind when she was away from him, either. Saying they were in love with each other just didn't seem to cover it.

He fell asleep changing channels and woke up around 2 a.m.

He glanced at the TV and saw that it was on an American channel. He got up and got some water from his room fridge and then went back to the bed.

He was barely listening to the TV until the words started making sense.

"An American plane exploded over the Atlantic ocean a few hours ago, killing everyone on board. There are believed to be no survivors, although that hasn't been confirmed by the FAA. The plane was registered to a Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, an industrialist couple from Los Angeles. Officials aren't sure how the plane ended up over the ocean, as it was originally slated to go from Los Angeles to Boston. It is believed that Mrs. Hart was on board, but Mr. Hart was not. We will keep you updated as we learn more".

Jonathan felt the room spinning, and sank down onto the bed. He was totally and completely numb. He felt like something wasn't right, but what was it that was off?

He knew what was about to happen, and figured no time like the present. He got up, packed his bag, changed his clothes and headed to the front desk.

"I need to check out and I need a car to take me to the airport right away".

"Sir, it's the middle of the night. We don't have any cars right now".

"Well find one! This is an emergency".

"Right away, sir".

They called him a cab, and checked him out of his room, and the cab driver took him to the airport.

He waited on the plane for about 30 minutes until they were ready to take off. Jack was the best pilot he had ever employed, and he knew he would get them home safely.

He just needed to get to Willow Pond, so that he could call the FAA and sort all of this out. He had yet to let the tears fall, because he knew that she would want him to be strong. He hoped that Max was asleep and hadn't heard the news yet. He dreaded telling him, but it was only fair that Max hear it from him, and not the news.

He called Vegas from the plane, and asked for them to get a message to Max to call him right away.

They had been in the air about 45 minutes when he was finally able to get a Wifi signal to work.

First thing he did was check his phone for messages. None from Jennifer. None from Max.

Second thing he did was boot up his laptop. He sent an email to Stanley asking him to contact the people he was supposed to meet with, and explain that the meeting was postponed due to an emergency. He also asked him to take charge for a bit, until he was ready to come back to work, and to not issue any statements to the press about Jennifer.

He checked his email then, and saw one from Jennifer.

He immediately opened it, read it, and then that's when the tears came.

He put his head in his hands for just about the rest of the flight. He kept hearing her laugh, and seeing her smile. He refused to believe that he never would, again.

Flashbacks of some of his favorite moments with her played in his mind. It was a movie that he never wanted to end. He pulled himself together and called the FAA and left a message asking for the director of the investigation to contact him as soon as possible.

He landed at LAX shortly after 6, and drove her Porsche to Willow Pond.

As soon as he got in the Porsche, he could smell her perfume. That beautiful smell….he could barely drive through the tears, but somehow he made it.

He came in the house and went to sit on the couch. He turned on the TV to see what the updates were, and found an interview with Annalisa from his gallery in Italy.

"She came in with a man named Carlo Fiorelli. He is a local art dealer who is a third-party buyer, of sorts. She requested the pieces and stated they would wrap them themselves, and that the gallery would be restocked soon. After they took every piece from the gallery, she and Carlo left. She gave me a note that said that Carlo had hijacked her plane and to call the authorities to meet them at the airport. She seemed totally normal, like nothing was wrong. I almost didn't believe the note at first".

Jonathan was incensed. He started making a list of things he wanted to investigate.

Why Jennifer was in Italy.

Carlo Fiorelli

The gallery.

He decided to wait till he spoke to the FAA, and then more than likely, he was heading to Italy.

He grabbed a photo off the top of the piano. It was the one of the two of them kissing. It was one of their favorite photos.

He held it as he spoke to her. "I promise, I will get to the bottom of this. I will figure it out, darling. I will".

***Italy***

In a tiny room, upstairs tucked away at the end of a hallway, in a tiny little house in Italy, a woman is screaming. She is bound, her feet and hands tied to a chair. She has a gag around her mouth, but she is still screaming. It won't matter though, because nobody is in the house to hear her.

She has a headache too, from where they knocked her out. She and Carlo had left the gallery and headed to the airport. They had stopped by a warehouse for him to pick something up. She had talked him into letting her come inside and go to the bathroom.

She was coming out of the bathroom, when she heard the conversation, in Italian.

"Her husband is Jonathan Hart. I promise you, he will pay big dollars for her to return to him".

"So, what is your plan?"

"Well, we leave her here, stashed somewhere. We take someone to US who looks like her, and then we blackmail him. When we release the imposter to him, we tell him he has to pay double if he wants the real Jennifer Hart back, and he has to give us exclusive rights to the gallery and not ask questions".

"Brilliant Carlo. Brilliant".

"Where is Jonathan Hart right now?"

"In Mexico. He thinks we are meeting about a merger. He should be out of the way for another couple days or so".

"Good".

Jennifer tried to be quiet as she snuck out the door and back to the car. But, she accidentally let a door slip and it banged. She was headed to the car when they knocked her out and she fell to the ground. Next thing she knew, she was in this room.

She started playing back the events. As much as her head hurt, she was trying to focus. She knew deep down that Jonathan would do anything and pay anything to get her back. She just had to be patient.

She focused on getting her hands free. She managed to loosen the rope some, and slowly managed to slip one ring of the rope off her hand. It took her about an hour, but she managed to free her hands. She untied the gag around her mouth, and then started working on her feet.

After she was untied, she crept to the window to look out. Nothing but views of the sea.

She crept to the door, and opened it. She could hear a TV in the distance. She went from room to room, and in about 5 minutes, realized she was the only person in the entire house.

She went to the fridge, and grabbed a bottle of water and chugged it. She found the phone and tried to call the police, but no dial tone.

She went to the door and realized that it was locked, from the outside. She had no way of getting out unless she broke the door or a window.

She picked up a chair and hit the window with it. Nothing.

She remembered that time that she and Jonathan were locked in a glass room in a freak art collector's house. She quickly took off her ring, and drew a large circle in the glass door. After she was done, she grabbed a table leg, and popped out the glass circle. She stepped through and began running down the driveway to the street. She had no idea where she was going, so she hoped that she would eventually either find a policeman or end up in a public place.

She looked ahead and saw a tree that had a heart carved in it, with the letters J+J. She immediately got tears in her eyes thinking of Jonathan, and silently vowed to do whatever she had to in order to get back to him.

***Willow Pond***

Max never received Jonathan's message, because he was doing so poorly in the poker tournament that he decided to just cut his losses and go home. He and Freeway had a great road trip driving home and stopping and doing whatever they wanted to.

He pulled up to Willow Pond, and saw the Porsche was back.

That's odd, he thought. They said they were leaving it till Mr. Hart came home.

He parked and went inside the house and found Jonathan sitting on the couch.

"Mr. Hart, what are you doing home? Thought you were in Mexico till the end of the week".

"Max, have a seat. We need to talk".

Max was worried. Mr. Hart didn't seem like his normal self.

"Jennifer's plane was hijacked. Apparently, she was taken to Italy".

"We gotta get her back, Mr. H. How we gonna do that?"

"Well, I am investigating. I am waiting for the FAA to call me."

He laid out the whole story about how he was cut off from everything in Mexico, and didn't have a way to contact anyone.

"Then, I saw on TV that her plane exploded and she was presumed dead. I still don't know if I believe it or not."

Max's face fell. Losing Mrs. H. was like losing his own daughter…..

"So what are we going to do, Mr. H.?"

"I put a call in to the FAA. I called Stanley, and he is investigating. If a reporter calls here, we aren't giving out any statements. I don't want to keep this in the press, if I can help it".

"Good idea, Mr. H."

"And if I don't like what the FAA tells me, I am going to fly to Italy myself and see what I can find out".

He had put a call into the gallery, and specifically asked for Annalisa to call him back, and left the number.

He owned the gallery, but he let her run it, and only got involved in extreme cases. She kept him updated by email once a month with a detailed report, so he rarely had to get involved.

The phone rang, just as Max took Freeway outside.

It was the FAA.

They spoke for about 45 minutes, and then Jonathan hung up, frustrated.

The FAA refused to believe that Jennifer may not have been on board, even though nobody at the airport had checked her ID or anything. They refused to say whether or not they had recovered the black box or anything from the plane. They basically refused to answer his questions and told him the case was being closed and it wouldn't be opened again.

He called Stanley, and asked for an update.

"Who were you meeting in Mexico, Mr. Hart?"

"Alejandro Martinez".

"I can't find a record of him anywhere. He didn't check into a hotel in Mexico using that name, and the only person I found fitting his description was a man in Europe going by the name Alexi Moretti, who has strong ties to Italy and the art world".

"So, what are you saying Stanley?"

"I'm saying I think you were set up. I think Alejandro Martinez is really Alex Moretti, and he lured you to Mexico under the presumption of a deal so that you would be unreachable while the gallery heist took place".

Stanley's theory made sense.

"Can you see if Alexi Moretti has ties to anyone at the FAA? They gave me the runaround today. More than usual".

"I will get right on it, Mr. Hart".

He got up and got himself a cup of coffee. Jennifer usually made his coffee for him, and try as he might, he just couldn't make his cup taste like what she fixed for him. It was the little things he was going to miss the most.

He flashed back to a conversation they had once, where he was telling her that if she died before him, that would be easier on him than if she left him for someone else, and that it was because he would rather know that she was healthy in Heaven than to know that she was with someone who wasn't loving her the way that she deserved. He realized now that losing her at all was a pain that he wouldn't be able to endure.

Max was trying to cheer him up, but it wasn't helping. Everything reminded him of Jennifer.

"Mr. H., tonight is the monthly poker game. You going?"

"Nah, I think I'll skip this one".

"Mr. H., what am I going to tell the others? You never miss, ever".

"Max, I cannot think about 5 of a kind right now. I just want my one of a kind".

Max gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

At some point, Jonathan was going to have to realize that the possibility that Jennifer was gone was real.

He had been taking phone messages all day from friends and reporters. Jonathan wasn't letting anyone in, or giving any information out. People were asking about funeral arrangements, and he wasn't even willing to think about planning anything like that. Max had called the floral shops in town, and asked them to send cards only and not flowers until further notice, and to please explain to the sender their decision.

He was trying to keep the house running as normal as possible, but he missed her too. She had accepted him from Day 1 of her relationship with Jonathan, and she had always made him feel welcome and treated him with kindness. She was a ray of sunshine no matter what, and she would definitely be missed. He was trying to hold out hope like Jonathan that she was still alive, but as the days passed, he knew that the hope would wane.

***Italy***

Jennifer found a policeman, and ran to him. She had been running and walking for miles it seemed like, and he was the first person she had seen.

"Please help me". He looked at her like she had three heads. So, she switched to Italian".

"Mi aiuti per favore. Il mio nome è Jennifer Hart e mi è stato rapito e tenuto in ostaggio. Ho bisogno di ottenere a un telefono cellulare in modo che io possa chiamare mio marito negli Stati Uniti."

(Can you help me please. My name is Jennifer Hart and I was kidnapped and held hostage. I need to get to a phone so i can call my husband in the United States.")

He looked at her and understood. He unlocked the door and told her that he would take her to the station and help her out.

She sighed. This nightmare was hopefully almost over.


	3. Chapter 3

****Chapter 3***

***Italy***

Jennifer was taken to a police station and escorted into a small room. There was a phone in there, but she wasn't able to dial internationally.

She waited for what seemed like forever, and then finally two cops came in to speak to her.

They didn't speak English fluently, so she spoke to them in Italian and let them know she understood it.

"Sei Jennifer Edwards Hart da Los Angeles, in California, negli Stati Uniti?" (Are you Jennifer Edwards Hart from Los Angeles, California, United States?)

"Sì." (yes)

"Possiedi la galleria Mirabella Arte e antiquariato?" (Are you the owner of Mirabella Art and Antiques?)

"Io e mio marito possiedono, sì." (My husband and I own it together, yes).

"Da quanto tempo la vostra galleria stato il traffico di cocaina?" (How long has the gallery been trafficking cocaine?)

"Non ho la più pallida idea che cosa si sta parlando. Mio marito e io vivo a Los Angeles, che non arrivano alla galleria spesso. Si mantiene in contatto per telefono, ma questa è stata la mia prima visita alla galleria". (I don't have the faintest idea what you are talking about. My husband and I live in Los Angeles, we don't come to the gallery often. He keeps in contact by phone, but this was my first visit to the gallery.)

"Voi siete i galleristi, sicuramente tu e tuo marito sapeva che cosa stava succedendo ... (You are the gallery owners, surely you and your husband had to know what was going on).

"Te lo giuro, non l'ho fatto. E mio marito non avrebbe mai lasciato che continuano, vi assicuro. Chiamatelo al telefono, lui vi dirà la stessa cosa." (I swear to you, I didn't. And my husband would have never let that continue, I assure you. Call him on the phone, he will tell you the same.)

The officer looked at her a long time. He finally picked up the phone and had Jennifer dial the number.

Max answered and informed the officer that Jonathan wasn't home, and he would have to call him back.

The officer looked at Jennifer.

"La signora Hart, You are under arrest."

***Willow Pond***

Jonathan was home, but he wasn't talking to anyone. He had Max screen all of his calls and just take messages.

He hadn't slept in days. Yesterday, he had gone upstairs and just stood in her closet, smelling her clothes. He needed to smell her again, run his fingers through her hair, wrap his arms around her, hold her close. He refused to believe that it would never happen again.

He wanted to go to Italy, but he was afraid to leave. What if he had been the target all along, and Jennifer's plane was blown up by mistake? He would never forgive himself for putting her in danger.

He swore that if that turned out to be the case, he would sell everything and live in a shack with no luxuries ever again.

He wasn't eating, he was barely drinking water. Max had never seen him like this, and didn't know what to do. He wanted to father/son him, but he didn't feel it was appropriate.

The gate buzzed, and Max answered it.

"Hi, it's Stanley from the office, I need to see Mr. Hart".

"Come on up".

He opened the gate and then opened the door.

Jonathan was sitting on the couch, looking at a picture of him and Jennifer from their wedding.

"Hi Mr. Hart. We need to talk. I have some information for you".

***Italy***

They made Jennifer fill out tons of paperwork, and then put her in jail coveralls and in a cell.

She had to figure out a way to get to Jonathan. Or Max. She didn't know anyone in Italy. Tears filled her eyes as she realized that Jonathan wouldn't even know she was in Italy until he read her email.

She was stuck.

***Willow Pond***

"Mr. Hart, who did you speak with at the FAA?"

"A lady, she was high up. I wrote her name down"

He grabbed his legal pad.

"Here it is. Lauren Kessler".

"Just as I suspected. The receptionist that was employed by the gallery, was a lady named Kelcie Woods Romano. She was an American, who went to school at UCLA, did a semester studying abroad in Italy, and never came home, basically. Her sister works at the FAA, and is Lauren Kessler".

"So what are you saying?"

"Well, there's more. So, the investigation turned up that Alexi Moretti and Carlo Fiorelli were trafficking drugs through your gallery. They were hiding them in the vases and the sculptures and taping the bags to the paintings. The Italian authorities think that Carlo knew that Alexi was coming for the drugs, so he took control and tried to get the drugs before Alexi."

"I see. So, how do Lauren and Kelcie fit in to all this?"

"Well, Kelcie and Alexi were married when she refused to go back to the US. She has moved on, but there is speculation they are still having an affair. From what they figured out, she tipped of Alexi that Carlo and his accomplice came to the gallery. And then she contacted her sister and told her to cover up what happened with Mrs. Hart's plane. And sir...well, it's just..."

"Spit it out, Stanley".

"The Italian authorities believe that Mrs. Hart was his accomplice and was involved".

***Italy***

Jennifer had been brought from her cell to a conference room.

The detectives were proposing something to her.

She was struggling to keep up, so she asked for a translator.

"Mrs. Hart, they want you to make a phone call to Alexi, and tell him that you are expecting another shipment. When he shows up, they will arrest him."

"Will I be protected?"

"Yes, certainly".

"But I never worked with him, so how am I going to convince him?"

"Mrs. Hart, you know what he did, what he tried to do to you".

"Officer, no I don't".

"He stole the drugs from the pieces that you and Carlo took to the airport, and then blew up the plane. Everyone thinks your dead. You will tell him that you outsmarted Carlo and are looking to get back in the game".

"Officer, was there a news report about my plane blowing up?"

"Yes, I believe there was".

"Well, then first thing, I have to call my husband".

"I'm sorry, I cannot allow that".

"You were willing to let me yesterday!"

"That was before we discovered more about Alexi Moretti and his ties to the gallery and the drugs. I am sorry, it is simply not safe".

Jennifer was heartbroken, thinking of Jonathan thinking she was gone.

She agreed to do whatever, even though she wasn't sold on the idea. She just wanted to get to Jonathan.

"If I do this, will you release me?"

"Yes ma'am, we will".

"Ok, then I will need some clothes and a shower and some makeup and a brush. And as soon as it's over, I want you to let me call my husband, no exceptions".

"You got it".

A female officer took Jennifer to an apartment that the Italian police kept for those who were in protective custody.

They gave her a clothing allowance, and took her to a little boutique where she could shop. She selected a gorgeous lavender silk one shoulder top, and a pair of very expensive Italian jeans that fit her like a glove, and some black wedges.

They took her to the apartment and she showered and was able to do her hair and makeup.

She was wired up, and then they took her to the gallery.

***Willow Pond***

"Jennifer? Involved in drug trafficking? That's insane".

"I know. I argued that with the investigator, but they insisted."

Stanley's phone rang then, and he excused himself to take it.

Jonathan sat on the couch. If there was one thing he would have never accepted about Jennifer, it's that she would have gotten caught up in drug trafficking. Stumbled upon it? Totally plausible. But part of the operation? Not a chance in hell.

He refused to believe that or anything negative about her at all. And God help whomever got in his way if that was ever printed in the press or on TV.

Stanley returned from his phone call.

"Mr. Hart, that was the Italian police returning my call. There is a woman they have in custody, who is claiming to be Mrs. Hart. According to them, this person used her birthday, her address here and her social security number when she was arrested".

"Ok, I am going to Italy. You are coming with me. Go pack, we will pick you up in an hour".

"Got it!".

Stanley left.

Jonathan filled Max in, and then called Jack and Harold at the office. Harold was now in charge.

Jonathan quick packed a bag for himself. At the last minute, he packed one for her too, with her backup makeup and hair supplies, and the perfume he loved. Just in case.

Max agreed to stay with Freeway, and he promised to keep him updated.

He picked up Stanley and in an hour they were at the plane. He had called Lt. Grey and asked for the bomb squad to come check out his plane just to be safe. They did, and they found nothing.

He and Stanley took off as soon as possible, and were due to land in Italy in about 14 hours.

***Italy***

Jennifer was wired up and was about to go to the gallery. The pieces had been returned to the gallery, and try as she might, Annalisa hadn't been able to get a return phone call from Jonathan Hart. Someone named Stanley insisted that he was in charge, but she didn't work for Stanley, she worked for Jonathan.

She had put the pieces back on their original displays, in their original places.

Until she got a phone call from Mr. Hart, it was business as usual.

Jennifer was in a car outside, and the police were telling her when to go in. She was to go in and ask for Annalisa, and then just inquire about how business was going, and mention that she would be returning to the US, and see if there was anything. Their hope was that kelcie would call Alexi as soon as the convo ended. Jennifer was going to place a very camoflauged listening device, disguised as a pen on the desk, so that they could hear every word.

"Ok, Mrs. Hart. Go".

She took a deep breath and got out and went inside.

"Hello, Kelcie. May I see Annalisa please?"

Kelcie was pale and started to sweat.

"Right away, Mrs. Hart".

She paged Annalisa to come to the front.

Jennifer took a look around and then pulled out the pen from her purse, and made a few notes with it. She put it on the desk, and then Annalisa appeared.

"Oh my goodness! Mrs. Hart, are you ok? I saw the news..."

"I'm fine. That was a misunderstanding. I wasn't on the plane, obviously".

"Glad to hear it".

"Listen, I am returning to the US tomorrow, and I was wondering if you needed anything before I go."

"I do. Let's go talk in my office".

She nodded.

They went back to her office and shut the door.

"Annalisa, I'm sorry for the confusion the other day."

"No, no need to apologize. I called the police when you left, but they didn't believe me".

Jennifer indicated that she was wearing a wire, so they whispered and wrote notes.

"They think Kelcie is in on it".

Annalisa nodded, knowingly.

She wrote a note.  
"I caught her going through each piece when it came in, very suspiciously".

"Do you know someone named Alexi Moretti?"

Annalisa nodded, and then wrote "her boyfriend".

Jennifer wrote "He was working with Carlo. Carlo double crossed him, took the pieces to take the drugs and then I was knocked out and put in a room and tied up".

Annalisa wrote- "Kelcie said she saw you at the airport when she and Alexi took a goodbye gift, so maybe there was an impostor?"

Jennifer nodded.

She wrote "And maybe the gift blew the plane up".

It all made sense.

They shared a hug, and then left her office. She had put the notes in her purse so that she could show them to the officers.

She told Annalisa bye, and gave her the phone number to the apartment where she was staying, and then told Kelcie bye, and then left and went back to the car.

As soon as she shut the door, she turned to the officer.

"Did she do it?"

"Loud and clear".

They took her back to the apartment.

"Now what?"

"Now, we wait and see if he takes the bait. If not, then we will wait for the next shipment of pieces".

She was nervous, but hopeful. They removed the wire from her, and then let her go shopping and to eat, to give the appearance of normalcy.

As soon as she got back to the apartment, her phone was ringing.

It was kelcie.

"Mrs. Hart, is there anyway you can come by the gallery tonight, after it closes? We need to get your opinion on moving some displays and we need you to sign a purchase order for more pieces. Does 7 work for you?"

"Yes, I will be there".

She hung up and then called the police and filled them in.

They sent another officer to come wire her again, and picked her up around 6.

***Jonathan***

Jonathan and Stanley landed and hired a car service. Jonathan wore dark sunglasses and a hat, as he didn't want people to know it was him.

The first place they wanted to go was to the gallery.

Jonathan and Stanley walked in and started browsing. Stanley asked for Annalisa and then he and Jonathan were taken to a private room.

As they walked past the receptionist desk, they heard Kelcie make a phone call.

As soon as Jonathan heard the words 'Mrs. Hart', he stopped to listen. He motioned for Stanley to keep going.

He heard every word Kelcie said.

7 p.m. she would be there. He could only hope that she was going to be there and not an impostor.

He joined Stanley and Annalisa in the room.

He didn't say a word, he just took off his glasses and his hat and Annalisa recognized him.

"Mr. Hart! I am so glad to see you!

They sat down and she filled them in.

He was more convinced that Jennifer was still alive.

He got out a calendar. It had been almost a month since he had seen her. Spoken to her. Heard her laugh. Too long.

"Annalisa, did she seem ok? Physically, I mean?"

"Not a scratch on her that I could see".

"Good."

He filled her in on the conversation he just overheard.

"I want to be here at 7 when they get here".

"Ok, I can hide you in here. Nobody will know you are here".

"Great, thank you. And as soon as we get back to the US, I am finding you a shipper and a buyer, and we are going to stop this".

***Jennifer***

Jennifer arrived at 6:50, and waited in the car. She was given the go ahead to go in around 6:55

Kelcie had her sign the purchase order. Right there at the top was Alexi's name.

She signed it and then they went to the storeroom.

As soon as she started looking at the pieces, Alexi appeared with a gun.

"Mrs. Hart, you really shouldn't stick your nose in where it doesn't belong. Carlo and I had this all covered, and everything was going well, till you showed up".

"I didn't show up, he hijacked my plane. The plan was all his".

"Well, now there's no trace of him, and there won't be any trace of you either".

"So you knocked me out at the warehouse? And tied me up in that room at the house?"

He nodded.

"And I hired the impostor and blew up your plane, because I wanted everyone to think you were dead. And I also lured your husband to Mexico on a fake deal to get him out of the way".

"You are diabolical, and you aren't getting away with this".

"We'll see. Now, get over here".

She hesitated and then threw a box at him.

Annalisa heard the crash and started to go, but Jonathan went instead.

Just then, the police rushed in and nabbed him. There was a small struggle between the cops and Alexi, but they got control.

The investigators came over to her, and took her wire off her.

"Good job, Mrs. Hart. Thank you".

"Now, about that phone call you promised me"

"Not happening".

She was livid.

"What do you mean it's not happening?!"

They turned her around. There was Jonathan in the doorway.

She crumpled into a pool of tears and ran to him. He took her into his arms and held her as she cried.

"I was so scared... I tried to call the house but I couldn't. I sent you an email, and then they knocked me out.. and then... and then... " She was completely consumed with her sobs by this point.

"Shhh. It's ok, baby. It's ok. I will fill you in from beginning to end".

He kept rubbing her back as he held her and kissing her head.

"I thought i was never going to see you again".

"I thought the same thing".

"I want to get out of this country soon, and I don't want to leave your side for a week".

"Not a problem, darling".

She was starting to calm down, slightly. He kissed her a few times, and kept holding her.

"I love you so much... I am so glad you are here with me".

She kissed him.

"How soon can we fly out?"

"Probably not till morning".

"Did you book a hotel?"

"Not yet. But I will".

The police took Alexi and kelcie to jail, and formally charged with them drug trafficking, assault, making a hazardous device, unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping, conspiracy, and murder. They were facing life sentences before they ever go to the station.

They officially released Jennifer and apologized to her as well.

Jonathan and Jennifer thanked Annalisa and told her goodbye and then they headed to get a cab. Stanley accompanied them, but he was trying to give them space.

Jonathan and Jennifer booked 3 rooms at Hotel Artemide- one for them, one for Stanley and one for Jack.

Jack said they could fly out at noon tomorrow, and that would put them back in LA shortly before midnight.

"Whatever you guys want to do in the hotel, charge it to your room and I'll pay the bill. I can't thank you two enough for helping me out with this".

"Yes, thank you both".

They all went to their rooms.

Jennifer wanted a hot shower and to lay down, and food.

She grabbed a hot shower and then realized that she had no clothes to wear. She came out and wrapped the towel around her and then grabbed the complimentary robe. Jonathan had gone to get them some food.

When she came out to the bedroom part, she saw that Jonathan had brought her a bag of her clothes and her toiletries.

He was so thoughtful.

She got dressed and he came back as soon as she was ready.

"Oh good, I'm starving".

She devoured her lasagna, and then laid down while he finished.

"Darling...how did we get here? I just don't understand it".

"Well, I have been researching".

"And?"

"And it's a long story-but the receptionist was working with Alexi, who was working with Carlo, who wanted to make the profit himself so he double crossed Alexi, ruining his perfect plan, which was to lure me to Mexico to keep me from saving you, and then Carlo was hijacking your plane to get me to pay big money for you, but decided to hire an impostor to get me to pay double."

"And Alexi foiled that by showing up early and taking the drugs himself".

"Yep."

She was quiet. He knew that meant she was thinking things out.

He came over and wrapped his arms around and they snuggled on the bed.

"So, where were you when you heard that I had died?"

"I was in Mexico. The hotel I was in didn't have phone service unless you were calling the front desk. No wifi. I fell asleep watching TV and when I woke up, it was on the news. I tried to get a signal, but there was still no Wifi. So, I didn't get your email till 2 days later. And I tried to call you like 5 times, but couldn't. So, I flew home, and we were in the air when I got Wifi, and that's when I read your email and my heart sank".

She squeezed him a little tighter.

"I tried everything I could think of on the plane to get him to go somewhere else, but he was determined. I just hate that Brad died because of it".

"Yeah, he was a good pilot".

"So what did you do when you got here?"

"Well, we went to the gallery, and I had to tell them to clean out the gallery and that we were going to restock. So, then we had everything placed in a truck and then we went back to the airport. But he insisted on stopping at a warehouse first, and I got him to let me go to the bathroom. As I was coming out of the bathroom and back to the car, I was knocked out from behind by Alexi. And when I woke up, I was in a room, tied to a chair and gagged. And I crept my way to the downstairs and tried to escape but I was locked in with a glass security door. So, I used a trick from you, and used my ring to cut the glass and then escaped. I flagged down a policeman, and then he took me to the station to call you, but you didn't answer. And then, they started questioning me, because they thought I was involved and had planned it. It was only when they wanted to flesh out Alexi that they let me out. I made a deal with them that if they got Alexi, I got to call you and the charges against me would be dropped".

"This has been a nightmare all the way around".

"I agree."

She teared up.

"I kept seeing you sitting on the couch, looking at our photos, thinking you would never see me again".

"That's exactly what I was doing".

"I was so scared I would never see you again".

He smoothed her hair.

"Me too. I was so frustrated, I couldn't get the FAA to tell me anything. Stanley figured out that the lead investigator was Kelcie's sister".

"Really? That's not fair".

"I agree. I think when we fly out tomorrow, we might make an unplanned stop".

"Where?"

"Washington. We are going to the FAA office and reporting her, since the Italian police cannot".

"I think that's a good idea".

"And, we might make a stop for another night as well".

"Really? You mean it?"

He nodded.

"I love you so much..."

She kissed him.

"You think your father will be as happy to see you as I was?"  
"Probably. I just hope he hasn't heard on the news that I blew up in the plane crash".

"I didn't have the heart to call him, because, I didn't have the heart to believe that you were gone".

"You never gave up hope?"

"Nope. I couldn't. I went into your closet and smelled your clothes every day, and I held pictures of us and talked to you some, but I never believed that you were gone. I didn't file your death certificate and i didn't plan a memorial. Max, god love him, he tried to get me to, but I just wouldn't".

She hated seeing what this did to him...

"I should have called you and told Carlo I was calling to schedule the plane's landing or something."

"I didn't have a phone, darling. You wouldn't have gotten me".

"I could have done something..."

"You did exactly the right things, I promise. Sweetheart, you and I are back in each others arms, and if either of us had done anything differently, we might not be".

She nodded.

"I promise you, I tried to stop it".

"Darling, shhh. Not your fault, you know that".

"I know. But I did try".

He pulled her into a hug and just held her.

"So, we have to buy another plane, huh?"

He shook his head.

"From now on, if you can't fly with me, or I can't fly with you, I think we should fly commercial".

"I agree".

They snuggled for the rest of the night, and made love several times, and fell asleep in each other's arms.

He got up around 1 to go to the bathroom, and came back to bed right after.

She was stirring.

"Darling, are you there?"

"I'm right here. Come here, scoot over".

"Don't let go..."

"I'm never letting go again".


End file.
